"Acadiana" summons up visions of a legendary and exotic world of moss-draped cypress, cocoa-colored bayous, subtropical wildlife, and spicy indigenous cuisine. The ancestral home of Cajuns and Creoles, this twenty-two-parish area of south Louisiana encompasses a broad range of people, places, and events. In their historical and pictorial tour of the region, author Carl A. Brasseaux and photographer Philip Gould explore in depth this fascinating and complex world.As passionate documentarians of all things Cajun and Creole, Brasseaux and Gould delve into the topography, culture, and economy of Acadiana.

In two hundred color photographs of architecture, landscapes, wildlife, and artifacts, Gould portrays the rich history still visible in the area, while Brasseaux's engagingly written narrative covers the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century story of settlement and development in the region. Brasseaux brings the story up to date, recounting devastating hurricanes and coastal degradation.

From living-history attractions such as Vermilionville, the Acadian Village, and Longfellow-Evangeline State Park to music venues, festivals, and crawfish boils, Acadiana depicts a resilient and vibrant way of life and presents a vivid portrait of a culture that continues to captivate, charm, and endure.For all those who want to explore these people and this place, Brasseaux and Gould have provided an insightful written and visual history.

A native of Acadiana, CARL A. BRASSEAUX has authored more than thirty books on French North America. He retired from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2010.

Philip Gould is a documentary and architectural photographer whose assignments have taken him throughout the nation, Europe, and the Caribbean. His photographs have been featured in more than a dozen books as well as in periodicals from around the world.

by Carl A. Brasseaux

Photographs by Philip Gould

200 pages / 10.50 x 9.00 inches / 200 color photographs

Louisiana Studies | Photography

Hardcover / 9780807137239 / May 2011